Australia says Hong Kong pathway will not exempt families from visa changes

Hongkongers using Australia’s bespoke study-to-migrate pathway will not be exempt from new restrictions on bringing family members, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has said. The rules, announced last month, prevent international students from adding family members to student or temporary graduate visa applications. The changes have caused concern among Hong Kong applicants who expected to study in Australia with their families before seeking longer-term residence.

Tony Burke, Australia’s home affairs and immigration minister, said the government would no longer add to the number of students automatically able to bring relatives. He said authorities would not separate families already onshore. The Home Affairs Department said there were no general exemptions for Hong Kong citizens or British National (Overseas) passport holders.

Family members will not be able to apply as secondary applicants after the main applicant has received a student or temporary graduate visa, whether applications are made inside or outside Australia. The Hong Kong Stream was launched in March 2022 after Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020. It allows eligible Hong Kong and BNO passport holders to graduate from Australian universities, remain for three or four years on temporary graduate visas and then apply for permanent residency.

The department said applicants for permanent residency would continue to be able to include family members in their applications. Australia issued 11,594 higher-education student visas and 1,354 related dependant visas to Hongkongers between July 2022 and June 2026. Community groups have called for protections for students who had already brought their families.

Migration agent Willy Kwong said the changes would mainly affect families planning to migrate together and graduates seeking dependant visas, but he expected limited effects on Australia’s wider higher-education market.